Scenes of Czechoslovakia beginning in 1918 and gradually moving into the era of World War II

Location:
Czechoslovakia Date:1944Duration:3 min 3 secSound:Yes

Close-up images of a slide projector as it is turned on and as its Kodak zoom lens moves forward. A picturesque Czech town is seen with numerous historic looking buildings. View of Červená Lhota (Red Village) Castle in South Bohemia. (It has bright red roof tiles, not seen in B&W photos.) A town square and buildings nearby, including one that appears to be a cathedral. A bucolic hillside scene with sheaves of wheat stacked in groups and a village in far background. Farmers moving loaded wagons with teams of oxen. Faming scenes. Local people gathered around a church building, in a rural setting. Closeups of several young girls with their heads covered. A priest conducting mass at a section of the church with altar and backdrop open to the outdoors. Many women are attending and most have their heads covered. Closeup of a woman drinking from a bottle and girls at a marketplace. Girls and a man dressed in traditional costumes. A couple in traditional costumes. Glimpse of bridge over the River Vitava in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Glimpse of isolated church spire in area near city. Pedestrians and horse-drawn carts and wagons moving over the Charles bridge in Prague. Woman with baby in carriage and other pedestrians walking past Statue of Francis Borgia. on the bridge. View from bridge overlooking Wenceslas Square and statue of St Wenceslas, Prague. A tram moves below. Time moves to 1937. Police directing traffic and pedestrians at a busy corner in Prague. People at a flower stall. Glimpse of Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering. People boarding and riding on trams. Children holding bouquets of flowers. A heavy gun barrel being raised. A backyard with line of wash and children playing in the field. Year is now 1938. German soldiers move a large artillery piece into position on a road. Agreements being signed related to the German annexation of the Sudetenland, portion of Czechoslovakia containing Germans who were incorporated into Czechoslovakia after World War I ). German troops moving into the Sudetenland. Czechs and Germans signing documents, German forces driving into a city. Hitler meeting with Czech officials. Hitler heading a group including Hermann Goering and other high ranking German officials, as they walk along a road in a Sudetenland city where citizens welcome them enthusiastically. Momentary glimpses of persons being mistreated. Sudden change of scene to persons posing, including some in concentration uniforms. Hitler being overwhelmed by flowers. Empty street scene with flowers discarded on the road. Year advances to 1942. Concentration camp inmates pose behind barbed wire. Year, 1943. A young Jewish woman is seen with Star of David and word "Juden" displayed on her jacket and the number 671 on a tag around her neck. Year advances to 1943-1944. View of inmates crammed into a concentration camp.